Former White House deputy chief of workers Anthony Ornato meets with Jan. 6 committee

Anthony Ornato — a former White House deputy chief of workers within the Trump administration, in addition to a former longtime Secret Service official — was interviewed just about by the Jan. 6 House choose committee on Tuesday, based on two sources briefed on the testimony. The interview lasted roughly 5 to 6 hours. 

Ornato was the topic of former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson‘s explosive public testimony to the committee earlier this yr, during which she described Ornato telling her in regards to the president lunging towards a Secret Service agent when advised he couldn’t go to the Capitol after his Jan. 6, 2021, speech on the Ellipse. 

Hutchinson, who was a prime aide to former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified that she had met with Ornato and Robert Engel, the Secret Service particular agent in cost on Jan. 6, shortly after Trump returned from his remarks. 

According to Hutchinson, Ornato advised her that the president had change into “irate” on the way in which again to the White House after being advised he couldn’t go to the Capitol. Ornato additionally advised her, Hutchinson testified, that when Trump was advised that he needed to return to the White House, Trump reached as much as the entrance of the automobile to seize on the steering wheel, prompting Engel to seize his arm.

According to Hutchinson, Ornato stated Trump then used his free hand to lunge in direction of Engel. She stated Ornato “motioned towards his clavicles” when describing the incident. 

On Tuesday, based on the sources, Ornato didn’t invoke his Fifth Amendment proper to keep away from self-incrimination or abstain from any line of questioning in the course of the interview, however advised lawmakers and committee workers that he didn’t recall the dialog with Hutchinson. Counsel for Ornato didn’t reply to CBS News’ request for remark. 

Republican Rep. Liz Cheney and Democratic Reps. Jamie Raskin and Zoe Lofgren attended the interview, a supply briefed on the matter advised CBS News. 

Ornato, a 25-year veteran of federal regulation enforcement who served underneath 5 presidents, retired from the Secret Service in August. 

Rebecca Kaplan contributed to this report.